McAlester’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 3 old photos of McAlester. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The crossing of the east–west California Road with the north–south Texas Road formed a natural point of settlement. At the time of its founding, the site was located in Tobucksy County, a part of the Moshulatubbee District of the Choctaw Nation. Alyssia Young, who emigrated from Mississippi to the Indian Territory, first established a settlement at the intersection of the two roads in 1838. The town was named Perryville after James Perry, member of a Choctaw family, who established a trading post. At one time Perryville was the capital of the Choctaw Nation and County Seat of Tobucksy County. During the American Civil War, the Choctaw allied with the Confederate States of America (CSA) as the war reached Indian Territory.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart McAlester’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how McAlester’s history is told.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District …, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from McAlester
See all 30 →
McAlester, decade by decade
1990s
18 historic places in McAlester
18 places in McAlester are on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
When they were listed
Listed 2000Federal Building and US CourthouseListed 1979Busby Office BuildingListed 1979Busby TheatreListed 1979First Presbyterian ChurchListed 1980Mine Rescue Station (Additional Documentation)Listed 1980McAlester DXListed 1980McAlester HouseListed 1980Mass Grave of the Mexican MinersListed 1980McAlester Scottish Rite TempleListed 1984Pittsburg County CourthouseListed 1988Lee, Jeff, Park Bath House and PoolListed 1988McAlester ArmoryListed 1995Aldridge HotelListed 2003OKLA TheaterListed 2005Warden's HouseListed 2006L'Ouverture GymnasiumListed 2013International Temple, Supreme Assembly, Order of the Rainbow for GirlsListed 2015McAlester Downtown Historic DistrictThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Oklahoma - Pittsburg County - McAlester - ED 61-35 - ED 61-43 (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (3) and the National Register (3). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.